Off the Coast
by Kandaluvr
Summary: Matthias is a rescue swimmer that takes on the waves just outside of Florida. One night he is called to rescue a small group who were lost at sea after being thrown overboard on a fishing trip. When rescue goes wrong, he finds himself and four men with attitude problems in a cramped life boat in the middle of the ocean. What else could possibly go wrong? Apparently everything.
1. Chapter 1

Matthias groaned as the pager on his side went off. It was three in the morning, and after almost twenty four hours of no sleep, he had only laid his head to rest four hours ago. Sitting up, he grabbed the small clip off of his hip and glared at it with bleary, blue eyes.

**EASTERN COAST, LEVEL SEVEN STORM, FOUR.**

He hated level sevens, they were so hard to see in and victims panicked more than ever in weather like that. He could only pray that the four that were out there weren't panicky or really big. But usually he prayed like that in vain.

Sitting up, he quickly threw on his jacket and grabbed his gear bag off of the table. He swiped his car keys off of the table and stomped out the door with his heavily booted feet. He got in his cheap, beat down Volvo and took off speedily.

Arriving, the giant sign outside the large building read COAST GUARD HQ. flashing the card with his ID and entered when the board lifted off from in front of him. Parking, he walked swiftly inside and walked straight into the meeting room.

"Is anyone else available, or are you just not confident?" Matthias said, slamming his bag on the table.

"Everyone else has failed. You're all we've got left." A taller man, pale hair and bandages over his eye from his last mission. The captain, Gilbert Beildshmidt was one of the best in their league. His last mission, just over the Florida coast during a hurricane had knocked him in the head and rendered one of his red eyes useless temporarily. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, this made him unable to go on duty. Especially for Matthias.

"I see. How far out are they?" he asked, instantly beginning to adorn his gear. Pulling his bright orange jacket on, and then the small instant floatation pouches in his gear belt. Sighing, he slung the bag back over his shoulder and followed Gilbert as they went out to the hangar. A great, red, search and rescue copter stood wet, tall and proud as it awaited its new passengers. Two men were already standing in front of the helicopter, both adorned in the bright orange rescue gear.

"Matthias! Thank God yer here!" The tallest one said, jogging up to him and giving him a bear hug.

"Alfred, How many times have you flown out?"

"Eight. Goin on nine." Alfred said, looking at his friend with a frown. "Kiku, Herc and I 're the only ones who can keep it stable. Wish the trainin' regimen was better these days, n' everyone could."

"I'll tell you what, I wish the same." Matthias said, turning towards the plane and seeing a much smaller man standing next to Alfred, his jet-black hair hidden by the helmet with headset. "Kiku. Good to see you so bright and early in the morning." The blonde said sarcastically.

"Ah, yes. I wish I courd say the same." The man said in a thick, Japanese accent. "But I haven't slept in armost 24 hours."

"Same. I had just got to bed when I got the call. Alright! Lets get going, sooner we finish, the sooner we sleep."

"Yes sir-ee." Alfred said, jumping up into the cockpit and sliding on his helmet and switching on the mic. "Check one-two. This is Hero, You there HQ? haha, that rhymed…"

"**HQ here, Hero in.**"

"Alright. We're taking off again in thirty seconds."

"**Roger that. Good luck.**"

"Thank youuuuu." Alfred muttered, flipping switches and beginning the propellers. Kiku joined him in the side taking up his side of controls and the engine kicked on instantly.

Matthias jumped up next, joining two men who were already in the passenger's area. Francis Bonnefoy and Antonio Carriedo.

"Heya guys. Bout time we were put on a mission together again." Matthias said, sitting next to Antonio. "It's been a while since it was just us three."

"Not since our first year." Francis laughed slightly. The three felt the lurch as the helicopter took off from the hangar. Holding tightly to the handles, the three quickly put on the rest of their gear. Matthias cracked his neck to the side and popped his knuckles.

"Ready?"

"Oui, oui~." Francis said, pulling on his flippers. Antonio nodded, snapping his goggles in place.

"**alright, we're five off from the scene, be ready ta dive.**" Alfred's voice said over the com. "**and be careful, this storm is escalatin' ta an eight at least. Don't do anythin' that'll get ya hurt, ya hear?**"

"Already? Kay, we'll be ready. Just keep high enough from the water, Don't risk the wind."

"**Roger that.**"

The tension was high as the three waited by the open door of the helicopter. The wind was whipping and lashing out everywhere, making the helicopter have to fight for balance. Rain pelted the sides, and the three felt the water seeping in before they even could dive over. Waiting, they listened intently for orders.

"**alrighty boys. Get ta gettin'. Be safe, we'll be waitin'.**" Alfred finally said after the small eternity of time. The three rescue divers nodded, and then moved to the doorway.

"Roger that, drive safe. We'll be back." Matthias said, and he leaped out.

**Heya! Hope you don't Mind me droppin' this here. I'm soooo excited for this story. Do not worry, Ghost Rider WILL BE COMPTLETED. I promise. Cross my heart. Hope to die. Anyhow. Tell me what you think! (BTW everyone here lives in the coast of America. The current setting is WAAAAAY outside of Florida.) Have a great day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**28 hours earlier**

The water was something that Matthias both feared and enjoyed. It could be used for anything and everything, from power to cleansing. With his job as a coast guard jumper, or a rescue swimmer, water was both to him. It held the power to take life, to destroy someone's life forever. It also held the power to make people realize just how lucky they were to be alive after a certain experience at sea. Even the smallest storm could be dangerous to a sailor or passenger. And it was his job to save those people.

Sometimes it was hard, because Peter Kirkland, who was only 7 years old, and who was practically a son to him always made him promise that he would come home alive. No seven-year-old should have to ask that of someone who had raised him. Matthias did everything to care for the child after the brutal motor boat accident that had claimed his parent's lives when he was only four. His older brother, Arthur, lived in England and was unable to care for the child with the small amount of money he made. So the task had fallen on a very willing Matthias Kohler.

But even as willing as he was, his job always was so time consuming that the poor Dane felt as if he had failed at spending enough time with the boy. Peter constantly assured him that the babysitter, who was coincidentally a distant cousin of Peter's, Matthew was wonderful and fun and played well with him. But he still felt bad.

The Dane opened the door of his adopted son's room, peeking into the room. The light of the outside hall illuminated a small strip of the room, revealing the sleeping face of the young Peter. His blonde hair was spiked from sleeping on it for so long, for it was about eleven at night. Matthew had been sent home by the Dane only moments earlier with a thanks and fifty dollars.

"Matthias…?" Peter's small voice whimpered from under his bed covers, where he lifted his head from his pillow to look at the door that had just opened.

"Hey buddy." He said. Peter's sleepy eyes instantly lit up with glee and he jumped up from his bed. Throwing his arms around the large man's neck, he giggled like the small child that he was. "How're ya feeling? Better?"

"Now that you're home!" Peter said happily. "But, heehee, you said 'ya' again."

"Ahhh, I've been with Alfred way too much lately." Matthias admitted. "We had to fly almost fourteen missions just this morning."

"Really? Did they all go good? You saved everyone, right?" Peter asked, admiration glistening in his blue orbs. "How many?"

"Yup. Sure did. I saved every single one of them. Seven guys, four women and three kids." He said, pressing his much cooler forehead to the boys. "And I get to stay home until morning." He told the boy.

"Yes!" Peter said happily, hugging Matthias tighter. "Can we watch a movie? And we can eat sweets all night! Or, ooh! Make some food from Denmark?"

"Haha! How about both?!" Matthias laughed, rubbing his knuckles into the boy's blonde hair playfully. "And then it's nap time, cuz Daddy is pooped."

"Haha, you said pooped." Peter teased, poking his father figure's cheek. Matthias laughed and let the boy wrap his limbs around his torso so that he could carry him into the small living room of the apartment. Peter told little tales of the crazy dreams he had been having up until he was awakened. How they were just like the stories Arthur had told him when he was a baby.

"What do you wanna watch? We can't stay up too late, you have school tomorrow. And I have work."

"But Matthiaaaaas." Peter pouted, not sure of what he could say to convince his father to let him stay up all night long with him.

"Butts are for chairs buddy! So what do you want to watch~?"

"Hmmm… we haven't seen Peter Pan for a long time!" Peter said with a loud cheer. Matthias smiled, and grabbed the DVD from under the entertainment center. Sliding open the player, he inserted the disk and hit play.

Hopping onto the couch, Peter snuggled into Matthias's side and popped open a bag of Mike and Ikes. He held out a handful of the candies to his father, who took them and threw them one at a time into his mouth, catching perfectly. Peter cheered.

For the next two hours, into the wee hours of the morning, the two ate sugar and watched Peter Pan. They made 'Almond Danish Swirls' (which really weren't Danish, but Peter didn't need to know that because they were his favorite). And then Peter hit his ultimate sugar high and crashed to sleep in Matthias's arms.

"Aww, little buddy. I miss this." He sighed, lifting the boy into his arms and carrying him to his bedroom. Which, due to the small size of the apartment, was also his. Slipping the child into his side of the bed, he kissed his forehead and slipped to bed next to him. Quickly he drifted off to sleep. But not before writing a note to Peter, who would awake long after he left for work when the alarm on his phone woud go off.

* * *

_**Present Time**_

The water was freezing cold when Matthias had jumped. The cold tore through every cell in his body and was frigid enough to make him want to curl up on himself. But he could see the overturned boat just a few meters off. Swimming hard and with all of the strength he had, he could see Francis and Antonio in his peripheral vision.

"**There are four in vision. All are alive, kickin' perty hard out there. One's a super big, the others are kinda smaller. Like teenagers. Just fifteen meters to yer left." **

"Roger that." All three of the swimmers responded at once, swimming faster and harder towards their destination. Matthias was first to spot them and pointed with his left hand to show the other two where they should be heading.

One blonde haired person was evidently trying to hold someone else up, someone with a white hat tight around his head. Two others were treading the water just as vigorously nearby, and one was holding a flickering flashlight to try and get attention.

"OI!" Matthias called, swimming faster, ignoring the saltwater that entered his mouth and nose. "THIS IS THE US COAST GUARD, WE'RE HERE TO HELP!"

"OHTHANKGOD." Someone screamed back, apparently the one with the flashlight. He seemed to wave it faster this time around and tread the water with more vigor. "WE'VE BEEN OUT HERE FOR HOURS."

"SORRY 'BOUT THAT. WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET TO YOU FOR A WHILE NOW." Francis called to them, pulling the closest one to his arms. He waved his arm, indicating that they had him. It was hard to use the com when swimming. "BUT THIS STORM HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT."

"**We see ya, sendin' a cable now Chief.**" Alfred's voice was relief to hear that the mission would go smoothly and they could go home.

"Thanks." Antonio spoke quickly, getting in closer to the larger man. "SIR, LET ME HELP HIM, CONSERVE YOUR STRENGTH." He shouted over the howling winds and waves.

"Thanks." The man responded, quite calmly for being in such a situation. In fact, all of them were… except for the small blonde one with the white hat. He was kicking and flailing as if he had no idea how to tread water, which he may as well not have. The man clutched to Antonio's arm for dear life, and Antonio responded in kind by placing his tight fists onto his shoulders instead so that he could keep them both up.

Treadng the water was getting harder and harder by the minute as the swimmers held the four men together. Their tired muscles were workng overtime to keep the exhausted victims afloat along with them. It didn't help that the weather was getting increasingly worse as they waited. Waves were splashing into their faces harshly and making it hard to breathe.

"Hey hey, Al, where's that cable? It's getting nasty down here. I think we've got one going into shock. And they all might have hypo."

"**Winds kickin' up- tryin ta level the copter. Just give us a sec, sorry.**" Alfred said over the com, sounding a bit frustrated and tired. Of course, they all were. The storms had really kicked up this time of year…

"**MADAY MADAY, COPTER GOIN' DOWN. MOVE UP, AW SH-!"**

Matthias saw all his life flash before his eyes as the helicopter suddenly began to spin out. The propellers hit the water harshly, splashing even more of the water into his face, and slicing through it like warm butter.

"DUCK!" he heard Antonio scream and saw him push the blonde under the water for a moment. But it was too late for him as the hind propeller collided with the tanned man's side. Matthias and Francis screamed as Antonio went flying out of the water. The blonde popped back up out of the water in a panicked frenzy and screamed for breath. Matthias grabbed his arm, then the other two and pulled them over to him and shielded them with his back and arms. He felt a blade slice evenly through his back, arms and part of his leg that had been in an upward tread to keep afloat. A loud roar of pain left his lips and he heard much the same from Francis, and looked over. His eyes widened as he saw that Francis was gone, and the huge blonde was floating, unconscious in the water. Blood trickled from his head, but was quickly hidden by the pelting rain and waves.

Clenching his teeth as the salt water slapped against his wound, Matthias grasped tightly to the three men's sleeves and pulled them over to the giant blonde before he could float away. Looking around, he spotted an emergency boat floating lifelessly by where the wreck had gone. Thinking of nothing else, he pulled the four men along and managed to grasp the bright orange inflatable. Pulling a string on the side, he watched in painful satisfaction as the boat immediately began to fill with air.

Pushing and pulling, he managed to get the giant blonde into the boat to lay along the side. The boat was small, almost unbearably so, but it would have to do. He shoved the blonde with white hat into the boat along with the man, and instructed the others to climb in as well. They silently did as told, and he immediately saw that the younger of the two had wide eyes and was hyperventilating terribly. With the last bit of strength he had, Matthias pushed the boat away from the burning wreckage that had once been a helicopter and his friends.

The three conscious boys pulled him into the boat by the sleeves of his bright, orange rescue suit. Matthias let his large frame slump against the side of the boat and catch its breath that was coming in abysmal gasps and pants. He let his blue eyes close as he said a silent prayer for his friends. He prayed they were okay- or at least alive. But at this point, he wasn't sure if he should get his hopes up. Pressing his hand to his ear, he spoke.

"Scandinavia to HQ. Hero. Asia. Sunrise. Anyone out there? Any…one?" His voice echoed in the silence that responded to his pleas. "Sc-Scandinavia to HQ... come in. Please... come in..."

* * *

**Kandaluvr is a cruel mistress. Do forgive her. ):D But that is besides the point! Tell me what you think! In other words, a review would be appreciated. :D Hugs from Denmark! *And happy thanksgivin to those who celebrae it. :D**


	3. Chapter 3

Peter's head was throbbing, and sitting in the school office was never any fun. But his head hurt so bad that he couldn't see straight and had been sent to the nurse when his instructor had noticed that he had tears streaming down his face. It worried the poor boy though, because by all claims, he only got a headache when something wasn't right. It was just something he had and had never been able to figure out. Sighing, he pulled out the note that Matthias had left him the night before.

**_Hey buddy, I have to go save more people. _**

**_Call the office when school is over, they'll fetch me if I'm there._**

**_Make sure you do good in school today! _**

**_I left some Danish swirls in the fridge, _**

**_Don't eat all of them at once, or I'll call you Alfred!_**

**_ Love you forever!_**

**_Daddy Matthias _**

Just as the note told him to, he had only eaten one of the Danish swirls, and it left two left over for he and Matthias to eat later… together. And he had done as well as he could in classes that day, but his head hurt so bad that he couldn't hardly see straight. The counselor of the school, Mr. Yong Soo, had said that he needed guardian consent for ibuprofen. But Peter had insisted that he should go home, and was waiting for 'Uncle' Matthew to pick him up.

It was nice to have Uncle Matthew around all of the time though. His brother, Alfred, who was a great and fun man, was also in the Coast guard as a Pilot. He usually flew the Helicopters that Matthias and the other swimmers used to go and rescue people in. From what Peter had heard, Alfred was the best of the best at what he did, just like his daddy was.

"Peter?" The boy looked up at the doorway, where Mr. Yong Soo was standing. The lights had been put out for his headache and the dim light that came in from outside was almost tremendously painful to see coming in behind the counselor. "Matthew Williams is here to get you."

"Thanks." The boy mumbled, and grasped his messenger bag from under the bench. It had a huge "USCG" stamped on the side, along with the signatures of his father, Alfred, and a few of the other Coast guard members that he had met. Hopping up, he slumped out the door after the taller man and found himself face-to-face with the blonde, Matthew. He walked over and leaned lazily right into the man's stomach, burying his face in his red hoodie.

"Oh hey- you're burning up Pete." He said gently, crouching to look into the boy's flushed face. "No wonder you wanted to come home, you look terrible." With that, he easily scooped the boy up into his arms and rested his smaller frame onto his hip as he signed the checkout paper for Peter to leave home. Then he carried the small boy out the door and to his large truck that was in the parking lot.

Peter settled into the seat and felt his eyes drooping from tired. He wondered if all of the sugar the night before had anything to do with it.

The drive to the apartment was short and silent, Matthew only asking if he was alright and if he wanted to go and see a doctor. After being assured that he didn't need a doctor, they finished the drive without another word.

"Alright. I'll try calling the office, let Matthias know that you're not feeling good. Maybe we can even get those crazy guys to come home earlier today." He grinned kindly, patting Peter's back gently.

"okay." Peter smiled weakly, laying down on the small couch. "I'll just stay here."

"You do that." Matthew nodded, picking up the phone in the kitchen.

Peter let his eyes flutter shut and rested in his self-induced darkness for a bit. He heard Matthew giving the codes to call into the office, and then muttering that followed as he was put on hold. Then he heard the conversation begin.

"Hey Feli, how's it goin'? (Peter was amused at how alike the brothers really spoke sometimes)... yeah, Peter's not feeling good. He had to come home from school- oh? Yeah, I can wait a minute." Peter could hear Matthew's feet walking back and forth on the linoleum flooring slowly. "Yeah I'm here. I-what?"

Peter shot up from where he was lying when he heard a glass smash to the floor. As if Matthew had dropped it from his hand. Jumping to his feet, he sprinted into the kitchen and was met with the horrifying sight of Matthew with his hand over his mouth, tears spilling from his eyes as he pressed the corded phone to his ear with unnecessary pressure. The glass, luckily a cheap glass one from some dollar store, lay shattered on the ground, soda and ice spilled all over around it.

"Matt-hew?" Peter asked, fear filling his entire being as the icy fear of what this could mean overwhelming him. He took slow steps towards his Uncle. "Uncle Mattie? What's going on?"

"Yes- We'll be there soon." Matthew finally said, shakily and so un-Matthew like into the phone. He then took the phone slowly from his ear and laid it back on the receiver. He looked at the little boy, gathering his courage and kneeled down to the ground and held out his arms. Peter ran into them, ignoring the crunch of glass beneath his school uniform's shoes and threw his arms around Matthew's neck. Matthew squeezed the boy tightly to his arms and held him firmly.

"Peter, Matthias and Alfred have gone missing. Their Helicopter crashed on a mission this morning and they haven't heard anything or found anything yet."

Peter's blue pools widened and tears instantly spilled down his cheeks. The first sob racked his chest and shoulders, and then he was full-out bawling into his Uncle's shoulder. Matthew didn't seem to care for the snot and tears that coated his favorite hoodie, for tears were falling onto the young boys shoulder as well. "It'll be okay though. They're tough, you know that Pete. You know that." Matthew cried, squeezing the boy tighter. "It'll be okay." He seemed to be assuring not only Peter, but himself. "They're strong, they'll be okay. It'll all be okay in the end."

* * *

Matthias hadn't slept since the accident. He was far too frazzled to even think of sleep and his sense of duty prevented him from resting his eyes. Every once and a while he would jump from the life boat to grab something that he thought could happen to help them in their predicament.

The other four had fallen asleep. All were huddled together for warmth, and he had put a tarp over them that he had found floating in the ocean from the crash. He hadn't spotted anyone else, or any sign of help coming since that morning, which was hours ago. The storm had died down quite a bit, but waves and rain still bombarded them relentlessly. It was impossible for Matthias to call anyone, for his phone was back at HQ, and the communicator had been taken out in the wreck. But he kept it in his breast pocket in case someone came around with something he could connect to through the radio.

"Mmm…" the smallest man, the one with the white hat, stirred in his sleep and blinked his eyes open. He seemed to take a moment to realize where he was and sat up suddenly with a gasp. He looked around with slight panic and finally laid eyes onto the exhausted Matthias, who was slumped slightly against the side of the life boat.

"Did you save us?" Matthias nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Thank you. What is your name Meester?"

Matthias noticed the accent right away, but said nothing of it and sat up a bit straighter. "I'm Matthias Kohler. Coast Guard. What's your names?"

"I am Tino." The man said, pulling his white hat off to reveal blonde hair that was sticking to his head from the wet. "These are my friends Berwald," he indicated to the largest man in the blue trenchcoat. "And Lukas" The blonde man in the navy blue hoodie, whom Matthias had seen a very strange curl that reminded him of someone, but he couldn't put his finger on it at the moment. "And his younger brother, Emil." The one with silver hair and brown hoodie.

"How did ya end up out here?" Matthias asked, pulling the small emergency pack from under his leg. He pulled out a water bottle and handed it to the man. "Try not to drink too much, I've only got four of those." He explained.

"We were out on a fishing trip. Just as friends though, it was kind of a get-together for Emil and Lukas after Emil finished college. Berwald and I tagged along for fun."

"I see." The rescue swimmer sighed, leaning back again, careful not to bend wrong for the wounds in his back and arms. His leg was no better, and he had tied some tattered cloth from his shirt around it to stop the bleeding.

"Where are you from?" Tino asked, handing the water bottle back to Matthias. He took it and shoved it back in the bag.

"Florida. Just by the coast." Matthias said simply. "Do you guys have any family back in wherever you're from?"

"Ah, no. It's just us." Tino said with a smile. "Do you have family?"

"Yeah, a little boy. Peter, and his two Cousins, Alfred and Matthew. His brother Arthur lives in England, haven't seen him in years though."

"Your son then?"

"Well kind of, I adopted Peter when his parent's died. Al and Matt have helped take care of him too, but he lives with me."

"I'm sorry you're stuck with us instead of them." Tino sighed, looking up at the sky and opening his mouth to catch some of the water that was falling from the sky. Matthias shrugged (painfully) and reached into the pack again and pulled out some plastic bags. Holding them out, he caught water in them.

"Here, I'll take one too." Tino offered, holding out his hands. "Your arms look terrible. Hurt, I mean."

"Oh… thanks." Matthias said, handing him the bags. "They're not as bad as they look though."

"Don't be silly, they were cut with helicopter blades." Tino said simply, not bothering to sugar coat what he said. "Your back and leg too, they'll keep opening up if you move too much."

"Are you a doctor or something?"

"In training. This is my last year in medical school and then I can move on." Tino sighed. "Berwald too, that's how we met, we're roommates in school."

"I see." Matthias nodded. A groan came from the blonde to his left, the one with the curl, and he looked down at him. Dark blue eyes peeked out from lightly coloured eyelashes, before he sat up without much of a start. He was almost lethargic.

"So we lived?" he asked, putting his hand to his brother's shoulder and shaking it lightly. The silver-haired boy blinked awake and say up with a little more liveliness than his brother.

"We're alive." He said simply. He looked to see that the large man, Berwald, had awakened as well. He groaned slightly as he sat up, looking around. He put his hand to his head.

"Headache of the century." He mumbled. Looking at Matthias, he asked. "Where are we?"

"Just off of Miami I think… a hundred or so kilometers off. Not sure. The storm has tossed us around for over six hours. No sign of rescue so far, I don't think they have any clue where we are."

"Oh- this is Matthias. He's the one that pulled us out of the water. He has a son named Peter back at home he says."

"You look a little young to have a son." The blonde… Lukas said bluntly. Matthias quickly decided that these were people who didn't beat around the bush to say anything.

"Adopted. But he is still my boy." Matthias affirmed sternly.

"Are you married?"

"How long?"

"I'm not married." Matthias sighed. "I don't usually have time to date."

"Wow really?" Tino asked, looking at his rescuer with genuine curiosity. "I guess it would be hard when you're out swimming in dangerous waters all day."

"Sure I guess." Matthias let that one just slip right over his head. "So let me just clear this up, You are Berwald, Lukas, Emil and Tino?" They all nodded as he pointed to each individual (except for Berwald, who sort of just 'hmph'ed.) "You were all out on a fun fishing trip and got caught in a level 7.5 or higher storm and were thrown overboard?"

"Sounds about right." Emil nodded, looking off into the distance at… something…. As he did.

"Okay, was there anyone else on the boat with you?"

"No." Tino shook his head. "Just us."

"Alrighty then. Well as Tino here told you, I am Matthias Kohler, and I am a member of the United States Coast Guard and I'm here to keep you alive and get you home through whatever situation comes. So with that in mind, please do what I say and we'll be able to get out of this with as little trouble as we can." He guaranteed, explaining his purpose with as little detail as possible.

"How long have you been a rescue swimmer?" Emil asked.

"Ten years, going on eleven soon." Matthias answered, zipping up the bag of water he had just filled, satisfied that it was clean enough to drink.

"Then I think we can manage that." Tino said with a smile, looking at Berwald, who seemed to glare at Matthias.

"Why are you looking at me like that."

"I can't see you." He said.

"What?"

"Oh! Your glasses are gone!" Tino said with surprise, as if he could never imagine that the man's spectacles could have been lost in the events that had occurred. Matthias would have laughed if he had the energy.

"Are you bald?" Berwald asked. "You haven't taken your hat off."

"No." Matthias deadpanned. Sighing, he reached up and pulled off the swimming cap and goggles that had been resting on his head up until then. His blonde hair spiked up from the friction of the wet cloth against it. He shook his head to fling the water out of his face and sighed at the relief of his head being free of the cap.

"I shouldn't worry. I'll see that stupid hair from miles away then." Berwald said, making Matthias frown.

* * *

**Hey again! Kind of a fast update, but I love this story so much. :D So thanksfor the reviews! I really appreciate them! Lets see if I could get a few more and you tell me what you think pretty please? Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

"So if we are where I thought…. And that would be a hundred kilometers east of where we started… it's about 800 kilometers away from Miami beach."

"And how far is that… in miles?" Tino asked, with a sigh, fanning his face. The sun was full out and the heat was unbearable at the moment. Matthias estimated it to be around high noon, maybe a little before. The storm had finally given up on its constant attack and had died down a little over an hour ago. The five were quite happy that Matthias had thought to gather as much water as possible while he had, because they had nothing else to cool them down.

"About 500 miles I think. Give or take a few." Matthias explained. "The storm blew ya pretty far. My com is way out of reach out here, so it might take a while to find us."

"Define a while." Berwald said, lifting his head from where he had been resting it against the side of the life boat. "That could mean anything."

"Well…. Given that we're so far off from where we were because of the storm… perhaps even further… I would say that could be up to a week or even two weeks." Matthias said. "However, that estimate kind of includes the chances that we'll get blown around some more by a storm. So if we're lucky and don't run into any, it could be by the end of the day."

"You talk a lot." Lukas said flatly, not even looking at him. "But we don't need to worry, they'll see your hair."

"hey, why do you guys hate my hair? It's just naturally spiky! Besides, Peter says it's cool."

"Yes, and how old is your son anyway?"

"Seven. Turning eight next week." Matthias said with a huff. He pushed his insisting thoughts aside of the surprise party that he and a certain southern-accented pilot had planned for that date, and the gift that he had put together for him.

"Wow. And he thinks it's cool. I bet he thinks that Leggos hold the meaning of life." Emil drawled, running his hand in the salt water beneath the boat.

"Leggos don't hold the meaning of life, they _are _the meaning of life." Matthias huffed again.

"And that is?" Berwald looked at him with sharp, blue eyes.

"Put effort into what you want and it's awesome. You can't build something if you don't try." Matthias totally made that up on the spot, but he felt the reality of it as the words left his mouth.

"That was deep." Emil nodded and held out the words in the most sarcastic way he could. "Did you make that up or was it on one of the boxes?"

"It's what I know. Stop attacking me or I'll throw you overboard."

"That's against your job curriculum isn't it?"

"… yes."

"Then you can't do it." Emil finished with a satisfied puff of air. He crossed his arms and leaned back. "Besides… even if you did, I can swim."

"Sure, I know. I saw you can tread water like a champ. I, however, can swim faster than you." The Rescue swimmer said with a grin. He hadn't had a good banter in a while, and by a while he meant yesterday evening with Peter over the fundamentals of Disney movies and true purpose of Mike N' Ike's.

"That's your job." Berwald pointed out.

Matthias nodded. "And don't you forget it."

"Hard to, when you're wearing a uniform the colours of a highlighter." Lukas said pointedly.

"Well they can see me better that way, same goes for you. The "victims"." He said with little air quotes around the word 'Victims'.

"We are victims. And we could have seen you just as well because of your hair." Emil said with a small smile, barely noticeable for the hard, blank expression on his face. He wasn't, however, as emotionless as Lukas was. (So Matthias had observed).

"Lay off the hair, it's awesome." Matthias groaned. "Gaaaah… it's hot out here."

"No really? How long did it take for you to deduce that, Sherlock?" Lukas asked sarcastically.

"Before you did. I was just stating a known fact to get it off of my chest. You should try it."

"Your hair is stupid."

"THANK you for that." The rescue swimmer sighed at the blonde Lukas and leaned back, letting his hands drape over the sides of the boat and drift in the water. He rested his head against the orange plastic-y side of the boat and stared up at the sky. "Anything else? My confessional is open."

"You're a very sarcastic guy, aren't you?" Tino asked, smiling.

"I guess you could say that. I've noticed you guys are pretty blunt."

"Well put." Lukas said with an eye roll. "Its better not to sugar coat things, people eat it right up and get fat with lies."

"Sure, sure." Matthias nodded, understanding completely. He didn't like to make things sound nicer than it was anyway. "Anything else?"

"I'm hungry." Emil stated, looking around. "Do you have anything to eat?"

"Well…" He dug through his bag with his wet hands and pulled out a few soggy granola bars. "I have these. There's only…. Four of them. So we should probably save them up. I also have some chocolate… but that's only for if one of you gets a low blood sugar."

"Low what?" Emil asked, looking at the swimmer like he was crazy.

"Blood sugar is the amount of sugar levels in your blood. The lower it is, the more tired you get and you pass out. It's like what happens when someone works out too much for too long without eating and pass out from it after a short amount of time." Tino rattled off. All three of his friends stared at him for a moment with blank expressions, and then shrugged.

"Okay. Well if it happens, you'll know it." Matthias said with a grin. "It sucks."

"You've had one?" Tino asked. "A low blood glucose?"

"I have a friend who's diabetic." Matthias explained. "He's had it since he was three or something."

"So juvenile diabetes. That's hard. Who is this friend?" Tino asked, sitting up and leaning forward with interest.

"Ah… well he was the one flyin' the copter."

"Oh."

Silence fell for a long moment. The five passengers all stared into space without blinking at all. The realization of what had really happened suddenly hit them like a train wreck. They had just survived a helicopter accident and four people may have been lost in that same accident.

Lukas and Emil were silent. They did not know those people, or even what they looked like really. However they knew that they had been out in the conditions that they were in to save him and his friends (and brother). They had risked, and perhaps ultimately given, their lives to save them and now they had no idea the fate of those four. Or even the names.

"I'm going to go to sleep." Lukas said suddenly. "I'm exhausted. You should get some sleep too. We might be out here for a long time."

"Mm." Berwald agreed, laying down against the side of the boat. Lukas leaned against his brother's shoulder and almost immediately closing his eyes.

"Matthias, what were all of their names? The others who were out there with us?" Tino asked suddenly, looking right into his rescuer's bright blues with his own deep purple. "What were they like?"

Matthias was quiet for a moment. He thought for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. He was quite positive that the others were all just pretending to be asleep, but he didn't mind. They should know, right? "Well… There was Alfred. He's the one I just talked about… He had a real southern accent, and he's Peter's second cousin or something." He explained slowly. "Main pilot." Tino nodded. "The Co- pilot was Kiku. Quiet little guy, lived with his wife Mei… He's the scariest little guy I've ever met when he's mad though."

"Did they have kids?"

"Nope." Matthias said with a grin. "They wanted one, but haven't gotten there yet I guess." He shrugged. "They babysit Peter sometimes when Matthew or Alfred or I can't. His older brother Yao owns a Chinese food joint on Main Street. Best food I've ever had."

"Sounds nice." Tino smiled, resting his head in his hands.

"Yup." Matthias grinned softly. "Then the other swimmers, Antonio Carriedo. I can't really remember his full name, he's got a crazy long Spanish name. Probably the most talkative and cheerful guy you'll ever meet. He helped raise this kid, Lovino, he's an assistant at the HQ with his little brother, they're all real close. He and Francis, the other swimmer, were best Friends since forever. The boss back at home, Gilbert, they're what we call the "Bad Friend Trio". They always gotten into trouble together. Both of em are tough as nails too."

"Do you think they're alive?" Tino asked softly, leaning back. "I mean, do you think they survived that crash?"

Matthias was silent again for a moment. His eyes closed to block the tears that threatened to fall, with no rain to conceal it.

"I… don't know. It's impossible to say. A crash like that could have killed anyone, no matter how tough they are." The spiky blonde sighed. "So I don't know. And the probability is really not in their favor, so I'd rather not think too much of it."

"Then don't." Tino said. "Don't think on it for a minute."

"I'll try."

* * *

The ocean was still a bit choppy. But he seemed to manage the illness that racked his stomach to emptying it's contents rather well, given the circumstances. It was impossible to say how long they had been floating out there on the waves now, but it seemed by the rise and fall of the sun that it had been a day and a half…. Maybe more now. Looking upward, his blurry and tired vision spotted something ahead.

"H-hero… to HQ… come in HQ…." his hoarse voice cracked and strained as he spoke into the rattling radio. There, of course, was no response. "G-guys? Guys… I think… we floated back…. To land?"

His vision went dark.

* * *

**Hey people! Been a while! **

**So this is just gonna have six chapters. Yay. Lets see what I can do!**

**Drop by a review! It means a lot!**


	5. Chapter 5

It had been three days since Matthew and Peter had been summoned to HQ. The two had taken their days off from school and work and were staying in Matthias and Peter's living room. They had a computer that dinged every time an update on the news, and the TV hadn't been turned off since they had arrived back from the long ride home while they basically lived in a fortress of pillows and blankets.

"Anything Pete?" Matthew asked from the floor, where he was lying on a flattened pillow. Peter hopped up onto his knees and looked to the computer.

"No- nothing here." He sighed gloomily.

"It's only been three days. We still have some time."

"I hope so. Did Uncle Alfred bring food with him?"

"Probably, I've never seen him without any. But even then, he might have a low blood sugar." Matthew sighed. "If he's with Matthias though he could be fine. He always has those nasty granola bars on him. And chocolate after that one time."

Peter seemed to think that over when he laid back on the couch. He grabbed the remote and turned down the volume. The commercials were hurting his head and he hadn't gotten any better from his headache. "Hey it's back on." Matthew said with a sigh. He put his hands behind his head while Peter crawled up and rested his head on the older man's chest.

The two started to drift in and out of sleep while the news faded in and out of their listening. _"-and on how to save up for this summer's stormy season- joining us is producer something or other who directed that one movie- Breaking news: two men are found on the south of Miami beach—"_

Both Peter and Matthew sat up at this with a start. Matthew grabbed the remote while Peter jumped to his feet and they turned up the news.

_"-Yet to be identified. The boatmen found their bodies floating in the water, completely unconscious. The uniforms they wore were indication that they are from the United States Coast Guard. There is speculation that they are from an accident that occurred just over three days ago that all passengers and victims had been declared missing. We have footage of them being pulled from the waters-" _

Matthew and Peter were so close to the screen that their noses would be pressed against it if they moved even a millimeter forward. They squinted at the blurry camera work that was being displayed on the television.

The highlighter coloured uniforms were obviously Coast guard. No one else had those. Matthew hit pause on the DVR to take a closer look at the two men who were the highlight of the day's news.

"That guys really big! It could be Daddy! Or Uncle Alfred!" Peter said excitedly. "And I can totally tell that little man is Kiku!" He was practically squealing with delight. "Who do you think they are?"

"I don't know Peter. It could be any of them. But…" He didn't want to get his hopes up too much. But the man they had zoomed in on looked really, really, like a lot like Alfred. The helmet was covering his hair and there was blood streaming down the side of his head. But the pixelated shadows under his eye (that was visible) was identical to the one's Alfred got when he was going days without sleep. Not to mention the high cheekbones and sharp nose. Really broad build… large hands… All identical to his own.

"That looks a lot like Uncle Alfred." Peter finally said. "It really, really does."

"Yeah." Matthew whispered, not sure what to do. Did he call HQ? Did he sit and wait for the news? Or did he just sit and do nothing…?

Matthew and Peter jolted as the phone rang, causing them both to smack their heads against the glass of the television. Matthew rubbed his head gingerly as he went to the phone in the kitchen. Picking it up, he muttered 'H'llo?"

"**Is there a Matthew Williams here?**" Feliciano Vargas' very distinct voice said over the line.

"Y-yes, this is he." Matthew said, suddenly a bit louder into the speaker. He held the phone tightly, pressing it to his ear. Peter came into the room then and stared at his adopted Uncle. His eyes were shimmering slightly and he was clutching the edge of his shirt tightly in his fists.

"**Oh good! Alfred's alive! He was brought to the hospital a little over an hour ago!**" Feliciano said with an almost palpable grin. "**Gil wanted me to call you and tell you to come in.**"

Matthew glanced at Peter, who was still staring with unblinking eyes at his Uncle. "And… Matthias?"

There was silence again over the line for a long moment. "**We haven't seen any sign of him at all. We tried to track him with the GPS, but the tracker must have been destroyed in the crash. That was all we found was a tracker… but we are picking up a signal closer to Cuba. We're hoping to find something there.**"

Matthew nodded and thanked the young man and assured that they would be there within the hour before hanging up.

"Did they find Uncle Alfred?" Peter asked, eyes filled with a mixture of hope and hopelessness. Matthew knew the child knew, probably from the look on his face when he had gotten the answer, that Matthias still hadn't been found.

"Yeah, yeah they did." Matthew said, not fully registering what had just happened. He was so happy. So, so happy that his brother was there. Thrilled that he was alive, and that he would see him again. But he was devastated for Peter. But even his happiness for his brother wasn't all of the way brought to its full capacity yet, because he had to see it to believe it.

* * *

The hospital smelled of rubbing alcohol and sickness. A strange smell if Peter had anything to say about it. He had his cell phone tucked away in his pocket, just like every moment of every day so that he would be able to answer if his father ever called. He knew that wasn't hardly possible, but he kept his hopes up.

Matthew and Peter were led quickly through the hallways and corridors that wound like a maze through the place. People rushed around in care of other patients and visitors. Peter kept behind Matthew, in fear of being run over by someone else.

The boy knew his father wasn't here, that was obvious. But once he saw Uncle Alfred, he was sure he would feel better. If Uncle Alfred survived this, then so would his daddy. Because even though Alfred was super strong physically and really smart, Peter was sure his father was even stronger and smarter than that.

They were led into a room that had a small plaque outside that read "**104 B**". They walked inside, and there were three beds. Two blondes and a Brunette lay on beds, each with an oxygen mask over their faces and IV's hooked up to their arms. One Blonde had three IV's, one labeled "LANTUS O30" It was insulin for leveling blood glucose.

"Alfred." Matthew whispered, taking tentative steps forward, and then basically running forward. He dropped to his knees by his brother's bedside and gingerly took one of his hands, which was bandaged heavily. Most of him. In fact, was bandaged. Around his head was a white linen wrap and his entire upper chest was wrapped in the same.

"His ribs are broken, one punctured his lung. But we've straightened it out and he's out of the danger zone. His blood glucose levels were low, and once Mr. Beildshmidt had identified him, we sorted it out. He's stabilized since landing. His body is covered in 2nd to 3rd degree burns. He's going to have some pretty terrible scarring around his chest and arms, but his shoulders and hands will heal nicely. He has a small laceration just under his hairline. It required five stitches, but it will heal as well." The doctor said with a small frown. He was a slightly taller man with dark hair that had a strange curl up on the top, and glasses.

"Thank you." Matthew said, looking at him, and his tag, "Doctor Edelstein."

"Of course." And with that he left.

Matthew and Peter were let in silence for a moment, and then the small boy walked closer to Matthew and his twin. He put his hand on Matthew's hoodie-covered arm. Matthew looked down at him, and was utterly and totally surprised to see that the boy had a huge smile on his face, with tears streaming down his face.

"He's alive, Uncle Matthew." He whispered. "He's alive."

Matthew smiled back, completely speechless at that. What could he say to that?

"Yeah, he is." He whispered back, hugging the child to his chest. "He is."

"And so is Daddy."

"And so is your Daddy. I know it." Matthew agreed.

* * *

"Ghost stories?" Matthias asked, sitting up. It was pitch dark outside, and he didn't particularly feel like ghost stories were even remotely a good idea. He was freaking out as it was, and he hated ghost stories anyway.

"So if we're out by like… five hundred miles or whatever, where are we?" Emil asked, looking at the rescue swimmer.

"Well…. I'm not sure if we went in the right direction, but I would guess we're somewhere near Cuba or the Bahamas or something." Matthias groaned.

"Don't you have a tracker or something on you? I thought you guys did that."

"I did." Matthias wheezed, the heat all around the place was terrible. If he was guessing right, and he usually did, it was around a hundred or so degrees out there. Their shirts were sticking terribly to them with sweat and grime. Their hair stuck to their heads in the same conditions. "But when that propeller hit my leg, it cut it right off of my uniform."

"How is your hair still spiky?" Emil asked with a frown, leaning back against the boat. "I can't believe how bad ours is compared to yours."

"Really? I didn't notice really." Matthias shrugged.

"Well it is, that is really ridiculous." Emil slumped down in his side of the boat. "I wish my hair wouldn't stick to my face whenever I get hot."

"I got it!" Tino suddenly said with a grin. Tugging and writhing, he wrestled himself out of his shirt, until it was completely off and piled it in the middle of the boat. "Oh my goodness! That feels so much better!" He grinned.

The others all stared at him for a moment, and then they all didn't care. They were in the middle of nowhere and they were boiling. They all started stripping off their shirts, almost ripping the material off from their torsos. The soft breeze that hit was like heaven.

"Why didn't we do this sooner?!" Lukas demanded, with more emotion than he had portrayed in the last five days put together.

"I don't know, but I'm glad we did it at all." Berwald breathed.

"Oh no, Matthias! That looks terrible!" Tino suddenly exclaimed from next to the swimmer. All heads turned to him and they gasped slightly as they saw the wounds that had been inflicted on the swimmer in the accident. "How have you not been dying of pain this whole time?!"

"It's not my job to worry about myself. My first priority is technically you guys. I've just done enough to stay alive ta make sure you guys do too." He said with a painful shrug. "Besides, you're sarcasm and bantering really keep my mind off the pain." He said, muffled through the T-shirt that he was battling with to try and get it off.

The large gashes across his back were each at least ten inches. They were swollen, and pink and puckered from the most likely infected state they were in. Blood trickled from them and stung from the salt water and sweat that mixed with them. He grit his teeth as he leaned back against the boat again. His arms were in just as bad of shape, and they could only imagine what his leg was looking like.

"Definitely gonna need stitches though." Matthias sighed. All four of the occupants nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry." Tino suddenly said, looking at the exhausted Matthias.

"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow at him and clucked his tongue. "For what?"

"For not really thanking you." He jabbed Lukas and Emil with his elbow as he spoke. "You've been through a lot the last week… because of us."

"Naah. It's not you guy's fault. The ocean is so unpredictable this time of year… it happens a lot."

"Still, you've already risked your life for us and have kept us fed and safe." Tino said, attempting to voice the thoughts of everyone in the boat.

"It's not that big of a deal." Matthias shrugged. "As long as we get out of this alive, I'll be happy."

"Matthias, have you slept since we got out here?" Lukas suddenly asked. Matthias looked at him, dark circles clearly visible in the light of the moon that had risen. Only a crescent in the sky, but just bright enough to see.

"Of course I ha-"

_"Have you slept?" _He demanded again, probably the most terrifying look Matthias had ever received in his life passing over his face. The blonde swallowed thickly and shook his head.

"I've... been… trying to use the radio. But there's no signal." He admitted. "Nothing. But If we're lucky… my tracker is floating around somewhere close by."

"So far there hasn't been very much luck." Emil sighed, leaning against the side of the boat. He let his hand slip into the water, just up to his wrist and swished it around. "Ah- ouch." He sighed, lifting his hand from the water. A large cut ran down the side of his hand, from the tip of his pinky to the end of his palm. "What the he-"

"Please do not tell me you dropped any blood into that water. Please, please, please tell me you didn't." Matthias said, sitting up and holding his nose and forehead between his hands. "Please."

"Uhhhh- I didn't?"

"Why? What's wrong?" Lukas asked, looking worriedly at his brother. "Why would that be bad?"

"Here's a no-longer-so-fun fact. Did you know that the waters between Florida and Cuba are one of the most infested with sharks than any other part of the world?" Matthias said, still pinching his nose. "And they are drawn by the scent of blood?"

Something bumped the bottom of the boat, making it rock back and forth.

Even Lukas screamed.

* * *

"We're ready for takeoff, whenever you say." Heracles Karpusi said, adjusting the headset over his ears.

**"We're ready. Let us know where you are in twenty."**

"Yes sir, Gilbert." He said, looking to his Co- Pilot, Sadiq Adnan. "We hear you." Sadiq nodded in agreement. A few switches were flipped and the helicopter took off.

* * *

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading, my precious few! Thank you so much for the reviews, they mean the world to me, and I don't care if you leave more than one. :D In fact, thank you for taking the time to even consider it! Next chapter is the last, (unless I come up with an extra scene or something. It's kind of up to you guys.) So until next time! **

**And if you're depressed about anything, just think of good old Norway screaming. It seriously makes me laugh every time. **


	6. Chapter 6

"Oh nononononononono…" Tino was whispering, clutching the tarp to his chest like a lifeline as something bumped into the boat again. "We're going to diiiie."

"No- I won't let you die." Matthias said, shifting his weight in the boat just a bit so that he was closer to Emil. He tore what little shreds of his shirt were left and tied them around Emil's hand to stop the bleeding. Emil was still frozen as a mannequin. "It's not gonna happen, I won't let it."

"Why didn't your blood draw the sharks?"

"I didn't let it fall in the water. It was fine up until then." Matthias explained. "They don't typically care for infected blood either, I don't think."

"What do we do?" Berwald asked as calmly as he could.

"Stay calm. Don't move too much, or it'll attract more of them. Don't let any more blood fall in there, or there'll be more." Matthias sighed. "Try staying away from the sides and make sure none of our rations fall over the sides either."

"Okay, anything else?" Lukas mumbled, still in denial of the scream that had just split from his lips. He refused to admit to the strange sound that had passed from him.

"Not really. Just do as I say-" Matthias felt his heart freeze up for the fourth or fifth time that night as another bump came from beneath the boat, but to his worse fear, the bump came from right under him, hitting his leg. He grimaced as pain shot through his whole leg from the wound in his thigh.

"Matthias…" Lukas muttered, noticing the pain that was nothing but visible on the swimmer's face.

'Don't panic. We've been out here for a week now, and sure, we're starving now, I can't swim very well now, and I'm down to our last bottle of water, we can make it. Maybe we can learn to fish… as soon as these sharks- if they're sharks- leave. We could use string or something from our shoes or maybe… gah. What can I do to get us out of here?' Matthias held his head between his hands as he tried to think of a way out.

"I wonder if Sharks like chocolate…" Tino mumbled.

"We ate that yesterday." Lukas reminded him, along with the loud growl of his stomach. Another bump came from under the boat, right in the center this time.

"Oh yeah. Well… darn." He sighed. "What do we do if we get attacked by the sharks?"

"If they even get close to you, hit them in their gills. That's their weak point." Matthias mumbled the information without opening his eyes. "And whether they like infection In their prey or not, I think I'll be the first one they go after." He sighed. He looked at Berwald. "Is your head still bleeding from the first night?"

"No." he answered simply.

"Good. Any injuries I didn't know about before? Any of you?" All of them shook their heads. "Good good…." Another bump to the bottom of the boat.

"We don't have any food… and we probably smell like a well cooked meal after all the sitting we did in the sun." Lukas groaned, shifting his weight again, trying his best not to move the boat too much.

"Eep!" Tino felt a bump hit his arm. "I wanna go hooome…"

"And you will. Just don't try to do anything stupid." Matthias said sternly. "I've been trained for this and I will get you through all of this."

Silence fell over the group as the bumps to the bottom of the boat became more and more frequent. They huddled together and tried to calm themselves down. Matthias would occasionally say something to try and reassure them, like 'we'll make it' and 'They'll leave soon.'

"Please… go away. Go away, go away…" Tino began to repeat the mantra is if it were a song. A lifeline even. And it didn't even make them feel worse, because they were positive that they couldn't ever be more scared.

Suddenly the mantra was interrupted as a strange sound started to erupt from Matthias' jacket. All heads whipped to it as he dove for the discarded clothing. He ripped the now rattling radio out of the front pocket and started turning the dial over, trying to track the signal.

"Please work, please work, please, please…." Matthias held the radio close to his face. "Please."

**"kkkk… nyone?...kkkkkkkk… this is the US coas-kkkkk" **

"Ohmighosh-" Matthias pressed the button on the side of the head piece and spoke. "THIS IS SCANDINAVIA… COME ON IT'S ME! MATTHIAS!"

**"kkkkkkkkkkkk… dinavia? Did you hear that Herc…kkkkkkkkk… I think we found…..kkkkkkk"**

"Hercules? Is that you? Who-?"

**"Kkkkkkk… We found Antonio and Francis. They're alive. Where are you?!" **Matthias was near tears of joy at this point. He was never so happy to hear the almost sleepy tone of Heracles Karpusi at any time in his life.

"Holy Thor- really? I thought for sure they had died!" Matthias cried. "Listen, I've got four more guys here, we're all fine, but we're surrounded by sharks!"

**"Only you would end up surrounded by sharks. We're tracking your signal right now, we should be there soon." **The voices were a whole lot clearer now.

"Thank heaven." Tino said as he heard the voice. "We're going home!"

"Yeah!" Matthias said with a small fist pump. "I told you we could make it!"

"We never doubted you." Lukas sighed, leaning back against the boat side.

"Yes you did. You told me you did." Matthias pouted. Everyone looked at him with small hints of pouts. "Oh don't look at me like tha-LOOK OUT LUKAS!" The swimmer suddenly screamed. Lukas turned his sore and tired body around just in time to be shoved aside by Matthias, and see the great white clamp his teeth around his shoulder.

In his place.

"MATTHIAS MATTHIAS OMIGOSH" Tino screamed as Emil jumped aside and away from the shark. Matthias shouted and screamed in pain, trying to hit the shark in the gills, but he was unable to reach when his arm was at such an odd angle. He felt his breath leaving him as he stared the huge fish right in his beady, black eye.

Then, to make matters a significant amount of worse, another shark jumped up from nowhere, snapping at Matthias' arm. He ripped it free, leaving terrible lacerations, tearing the muscle almost to the bone, rendering it useless.

Berwald grabbed the small pack that Matthias had been holding to the whole time and raised it above his head. Swinging it forward, he bashed the side of the shark's skull, repeatedly. Matthias still bellowed in pain as he still kicked and bashed at the assailing fish. Lukas leaped up to his feet, cringing at the tilt of the boat as he did and began slamming his fists into the side of the Shark's head. Its teeth dug and tore at his shoulder, and the rescue swimmer could feel it's teeth scraping against his collar bone and shoulder blade. Emil leaped up as well, Holding onto the swimmer's ankles to keep the shark from dragging him underwater. He roared again as the shark lost its grip, ripped its teeth away, and fell into the water again from the assailing on the slits in his neck to each side in combined efforts of the boat's occupants.

Matthias fell, gasping for air and writhing at the bottom of the boat. Tino and Lukas both crawled over to him, while Berwald was panting, holding the bag to his chest for dear life.

"Matthias, ohmigosh…Stay awake, okay? You've got to stay awake!" Tino grabbed a jacket- he wasn't quite sure whose- and pressed it on Matthias' shoulder, trying to stem the flow of blood. Lukas did the same, pressing the blue hoodie to the man's upper chest.

"E-Emil… get… the radio…" Matthias said through gritted teeth. "Call… in…" Emil nodded. He scrambled to pick up the small headpiece, and clicked the button on the side. Lukas was staring at Matthias right in the face, an unreadable expression on his face.

"You saved me." He whispered, still registering what had happened. "That was supposed to be me."

"Uh… this is Matthias' group. We just… got attacked, are you there?" He asked, trying to swallow the terrified squeaks that kept bubbling up in his throat. "Hello? Matthias is down?" He was only responded to by the horrible "**kkkkkkkkkkk**" of the radio.

"I should be dead…" Lukas said, eyes wide, still staring at Matthias with unblinking horror.

"Shh… it's fine… we'll talk about it…. Later." Matthias groaned.

"Hello? Hello! Is anyone there?! Come on, please…. Is there anyone there?!" Emil screeched into the radio in a horribly out of character panic as Matthias, their rescuer, lay at the bottom of a floatation boat, bleeding and writhing in pain. His flesh matted and torn…

"COME IN. IS ANYONE THERE WHERE ARE YOU?" He screamed into the radio, still only answered by crackling silence. "DEAR THOR WOULD YOU ANSWER?!"

Only the crackling silence, and the roar of the water as sharks circled them.

"We- lost the signal? We, we're alone?!" Tino asked, looking up from his work. "Where did they go?! No!"

"G-give it." Matthias held his trembling hand out. "L-let… me…" He hissed through his teeth.

Emil handed it to him, gingerly closing the man's bloodied hands around the radio and pushed the button for him.

"This is Matthias." The man tried to speak clearly. "Scandinavia to Hercules. Where are you?"

"**kkkkkkkkk…" ** The hope almost drained from Matthias and the four fishing victims as they waited. The crackle of the radio sapped the energy right from them, hope slipping away with each moment.

A ringing erupted from Matthias's pack. Berwald quickly zipped it open and pulled the ringing cell phone out of it.

"How is this working, it got wet didn't it?" Lukas asked, taking a small amount of pressure off of Matthias' wounds in his curiosity. He took the phone from the larger blonde and Matthias took it shakily from him. "Let me open it." Matthias just nodded. Emil took over applying pressure to the wounds.

"You think I don't have a waterproof phone?" He chuckled weakly, another terrifying bump hitting the bottom of the boat. "I'm a rescue swimmer." He watched as Lukas slid up the lock screen and looked at the call number.

"Dear God, It's Peter." He whispered, seeing the picture of Matthias with the small blonde boy both smiling in front of a tiny Christmas tree. "I can't answer, what'll he think if someone else answers his dad's phone?" That wasn't why Lukas didn't want to talk, and they all knew it.

"He knows what to do… answer it." Matthias whispered. Lukas just nodded, but handed the phone to Berwald.

Berwald hit answer just before it was about to hang. He put the phone to his ear.

"H-h'llo?"

* * *

"Signals back! I can't hear them, but it's back!" Lovino Vargas shouted over the shouts and scurries of the people in the broadcast room.

"HQ to Hercules! Are you there?! Are you okay?!" There was no reply. "Sh-"

"**Language Lovi. We're right here.**" Antonio's weak voice came over the com. "**We're heading to the coordinates be- what?" **

**"We lost the coordinates. They're gone, along with the signal. There's a storm coming in too, we're losing it." **Heracles said. **"There's nothing left."**

"Merda!" Lovino cursed, slamming his hand down on the desk. "Where did they go?!"

"Daddy? Berwald? Where's Matthias?" A small voice asked from behind him. He turned sharply, looking to find Matthew and Peter sitting where Gilbert had left them to wait. Peter had a cellular phone pressed to his ear. "Where is my Daddy Mister Berwald?"

"Peter, did you get a hold of your dad?"

"Yeah! My phone made it through!" He said with a panicked happiness. "I don't know how, but my Dad's phone connected!"

"They must be somewhere near a phone tower!" Lovino jumped down from his small desk area. He leaped over multiple desks and found himself crouching next to the boy. "Keep talking. Keep that conversation going, if you have to stand on Matt's shoulders to keep that signal, do it. " He stood and turned. "Track that signal! Use every phone service tower every satellite, everything we've got, to reach him and track that tower down!" Lovino shouted at the room's occupants. Everyone shouted a yes sir and started their work right away.

"Mister Berwald, is my Daddy okay? Can I please talk to him?"

* * *

"He wants to talk to you Matthias."

"Kay… hold the phone… to my ear." He told the giant man. He nodded and held it out to him, keeping it next to his ear. "Hey… buddy. How's it goin?"

**"Daddy!" **Peter's relieved wail sounded like bells of hallelujah in Matthias' ear. "**You're okay! I knew you'd be okay!**"

"Yeah, yeah I'm… okay." Matthias said with a weak smile. "Ho- How are you Peter?"

"**You sound bad, Daddy."** Peter said softly. The signal was terrible, but Matthias willed it with all of his might for it to stay. **"Really bad. Are you hurt?" **

"Well I am... You will not _believe _all of the crap… your Dad's… been through in the past… week." Matthias groaned, sucking in a breath to try and ease his pain to talk. "Is Uncle Matt takin' good care of ya?"

"**Yeah- he is."** Peter said happily, tears choking his voice. "**He is, real good, daddy.**"

"Alright, what about everyone else? Did anyone else get found?"

**"Yeah daddy! Alfred's here, he's in the Hospital and Kiku too! Kiku is all better already, he was only unconscious when they found him. He has a couple bad burns and a… a co-concoction!" **Peter struggled to find the word. Matthias felt tears of hope falling down his cheeks and the pain was lifting slightly from his body. That wasn't good. He needed to get it together or he would die.

"Concussion you mean?" He asked, chuckling slightly. "He's got a concussion? That's it?"

"**Yeah! Uncle Alfred protected him when the Helicopter crashed.**" Peter explained. "**That's what Kiku told them. That's why he's way more hurt than him.**"

"Haha, I'm sure he did." He felt another bump from the bottom of the boat. Oh dear Nordic God's that hurt…

"**Is Mister Berwald the one you saved?**" Peter asked. Matthias nodded, as if the boy would hear that.

"Y-yeah…one of em... Oh ouch… hey Berwald, could you put him on speaker?" Berwald nodded and took the phone and pressed the buttons (with much struggle) and then sat it on Matthias' good shoulder. "Can you hear me buddy?"

"**Yeah Daddy, I can hear you, but you sound like you're in a tunnel or something.**" The boy admitted. Matthias decided that didn't matter so much.

**_"I got it! We got the coordinates! I'm sending them right now!_**_" _A voice echoed in the background of the call. Matthias distantly recognized the voice, but didn't strain his thought about it. "**We found you on the map Daddy, they're sending help!**" Peter said, choking past tears. Matthias instantly wanted to hold the child. But he felt his consciousness slipping.

"Alright, good job buddy. Thank you." He said slowly, trying to get the words past his thick tongue. "Now do Daddy a favor, okay?"

"**What is it daddy? Tell me!**"

"Be there when Daddy wakes… up." His eyes drooped.

"Matthias!" All four occupants cried, surrounding him. They tried to wake him up, slaps to his cheeks and shaking his arm. Nothing came of it.

"**I'll be there daddy! I pro-!**" The call dropped.

"I hear the Helicopter!" Emil cried, pointing in the direction it was coming. "I hear it!"

"We're getting out!"

* * *

"**I see a life boat, just due east. Ivan, Ludwig, Gil, you're up!**" Sadiq's voice said over the com. The three swimmers nodded, pulling on their gear and helmets. They made sure the coms worked, then nodded to each other and went to the door, awaiting the signal.

**"Set, go. We're on site." **Heracles voice said. And dove they did.

Gilbert hit the water feet first, as trained. His eye wasn't completely healed, but he insisted that he could see fine, and he wanted to see this mission through. He looked to his younger brother, who had dived in not a meter off. Ivan, the giant of a swimmer landed behind him.

The bright orange boat was floating not five meters away. They swam heavily towards them, the light from the copter allowing vision to them.

"We're here! Holy Loki they're here!" One of the passengers were calling. Gilbert was slightly surprised to see that Matthias was no where to be seen. Where was he? They told him that he was…

Something brushed his legs.

"Dear God, there are sharks." He mumbled. He knew they wouldn't attack him as long as he wasn't bleeding… for now. If they were in the water too long, they might be mistaken for food. "Get to the boat! Hercules, we're going to need a medical bed sent down directly to the boat." He said into his ear piece.

"**Roger that.**" Heracles said back.

The three forced their way to the boat and grabbed the edge of it. Pulling themselves up all at once, they made sure to balance the boat so that it didn't tip.

Gilbert was instantly horrified at the sight that he beheld upon entry. The bottom of the boat was coated with a mixture of water and blood. An inch deep, he thought. Bumps that came from the bottom showed the insistence of the sharks beneath. He didn't know how many of them there were, but there were a lot.

Matthias was laying on the bottom of the boat, he found. His head was in the lap of a blonde, who looked about ready to pass out. Another blonde was applying pressure to the wounds on his upper body with what looked like a bunch of T-shirts and jackets, and the largest blonde was standing in the center, with a pack of supplies, ready to whack at any sharks that decided to pop up again.

"Matthias!" He shouted, making his way carefully over to the swimmer. "What happened?" He demanded, looking at the silver haired fellow that sat on the other end of the boat. "Ivan, get him to the middle, the Bed'll be here any second."

"He… he saved me." The blonde at the end where he held Matthias' head said. "He was attacked by two sharks, his arm and shoulder…"

"Got it." Ludwig nodded, helping move Matthias with gentle care. "We'll be heading back to HQ right away." He assured.

"Will he live?" The smallest blonde asked, his big, brown eyes glimmering with worry.

"If we hurry." Ivan said with a nod. He looked up just in time to see the medical bed hanging from the strong cables. He grasped it and directed it down to right next to Matthias.

"Two at a time. You," Gilbert pointed to the shell-shocked one that had been holding his friend's head and had a cross-shaped pin in his hair. "Get in with Matthias. He needs to keep his head and feet elevated." The man nodded and climbed in with the help of Ludwig, sitting on the end of the bed. Then Ivan and Gilbert worked to lift Matthias into the bed as well. He tapped the chords that held it up and signaled for the bed to be raised.

Raise it did. And then it was lowered again, until each and every member of the boat was inside the helicopter.

The four leaned against the side of the helicopter, watching as a frenzy was created in front of them face and CPR was put into effect when no breathing was detected. Gilbert and Ludwig took turns practically pounded on Matthias' chest, getting blood all over their hands in the process, to get his heart going. Ivan, who had taken up holding his head, would breath twice into his mouth every 30 compressions.

Lukas and Emil were huddled closely, Emil trying to calm the elder's hyperventilating. Berwald was trying to see what was in front of him, his vision so blurry now that he couldn't hardly see at all. Tino was also trying to calm Lukas, who was convinced that this was all his fault.

His world was falling apart. The man in front of him, as irritating and unnaturally cheerful as he was, had sacrificed himself to stop the attack on he, Lukas. The breath in his chest refused to be fully released or inhaled for his panic that he had built up. He clutched Matthias' cell phone in his hands, having not let go since he had taken the phone off of the man's shoulder.

Suddenly, a watery, wet, gasp sounded from Matthias. His chest lifted slightly off of the ground from the force of the breath and the three other swimmers let out breaths of relief.

"Is it over?" Emil asked, a childish hope in his chest. Lukas looked down at the phone in his hand, grimacing.

"No… it's far from over."

* * *

The helicopter landed safely at the Florida CGHQ. The five rescued were rushed from the copter and taken to the medical facility. Matthias was escorted on a stretcher to ICU, while the rest were treated for their minor injuries. Emil had to get four stitches in his hand, and Lukas was treated for shock.

Three hours later found the four sitting in their overnight room, waiting. Lukas had a blanket draped over his shoulders, while Emil had passed out from exhaustion in his bed. Berwald was drinking a small water that had been provided by Gilbert upon landing, and all had been given small bowls of soup to help fix their hunger.

"Do you think he's okay?" Tino asked, turning from the window he had been staring out at the ocean for the last half hour.

"He'll be okay… if he lived through all that." Emil said confidently. "I'm sure of it."

"He will be." A voice said from the doorway. All heads whipped around to see two figures. One was taller, had short, blonde hair and a strange curl that jutted out from his hairline. He had a red hoodie on that read "CANADA" across the chest with a small leaf under it. Next to him was a small boy, no older than seven, and bright, blue eyes.

"You're Peter." Lukas said slowly. Of course he knew that, he had been staring at the boys picture for half the night on Matthias' phone.

"Yup." Peter said, walking in and closing the door behind his Uncle. "This is Uncle Matthew." He said, indicating to the man. All of the friend's (and brothers) waved shortly. The two entered fully and sat in the plastic chairs on the side of the wall. "My Daddy saved you."

"Yes he did." Tino said with a bright smile. "And we're very thankful." He told the boy.

"I've never met anyone he saved before. You guys are the first." Peter said with a small smile.

"We're honoured." Berwald said with a nod. "He was very brave."

"I know." Peter nodded. "He always is."

"An-anyway. My brother woke up. He wants to meet you." Matthew said, looking at the four. "He's the pilot."

"Oh." Tino said slowly. "Of course we will."

The four followed Matthew and Peter out the door, down the hallway and into a room just a hallway off. They entered single-file and looked in to see one man laying on the bed in the center of the room.

"Come on in!" He said, rather cheerfully for someone who couldn't move well. He was bandaged from head to toe, it seemed, and there were rather obvious signs of burns on his forehead and cheeks, but they were healing slowly. "Plenty of chairs."

They all sat on the left side of the bed, and stared at the man as Matthew and Peter seated themselves as well. "So! Matthias saved you all! I'm glad." He said with a wide grin, that stretched the marks on his face horribly. "I was worried I didn't land it where I thought I did."

"Y-you re-directed the crash?" Tino asked, looking at the man. Alfred nodded.

"Well yeah. The gears went all wrong when a big ol' gust o' wind raised under us. I tried ta push the copter to the side by reversin' the gears and goin' backwards." He said with a smaller smile. "I knew it was risky, but I guess it worked."

"It did." Berwald nodded.

"How did you get out?" Lukas asked. Alfred looked at him, noticing the phone in his hand, but not saying anything.

"Well I jumped just before it crashed. Grabbed Kiku, then jumped. The Copter done landed right next ta us. But We made it."

"Wow." All four said slowly, letting that sink in.

"Is that Matthias' phone?" Alfred asked, pointing weakly to the phone in Lukas' hand. He nodded, holding it up for the man to see. "He told me he wanted ta get a water proof phone. Guess he did."

"Good thing too." Emil said with a nod.

"Where do ya'll live? Here in Miami?"

"Yes, we just moved to an apartment just off main street."

"Really? Mattie and I live near there!" He grinned. He saw the worry visible in the faces of all the men in the room. He smiled softly.

"Guys, if yer worried 'bout Matthias, don't. The guy is more stubbornly tough than I ever seen anythin' before." Alfred told them. "Ya'll were with 'im fer a week! Ya should know that by now." He scolded lightly. "If ya doubt that, look at yerselves. He didn't let ya die out there, now did he?"

"No. No he didn't." Peter said with a grin. "Daddy'll be fine."

* * *

**Six months later**

"Peter! You're up!"

The small boy stood from his desk, looking up at the sign for a moment that read "**Career day**". He walked to the front of the room and took a deep breath. Ms. Hedervary looked at him with a kind eye. "Who did you bring for career day today?"

"Well I didn't bring-" The boy was cut off as the door of the classroom was opened. He looked, and was found breathless as five men entered.

Dark blue uniformed men walked in. They held brimmed hats under their arms as they entered with intimidating casualty. The three blonde men smiled, while the other blonde and slightly silver haired men kind of just nodded affectionately at Peter as he stared back in disbelief, mouth slightly agape and eyes totally wide.

"Sorry we're late! We had to pick someone up on the way from the Headquarters." Matthias said, looking at Lukas, who was also in the Coast guard Military attire. Tears brimmed in Peter's eyes.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Ms. Hedervary asked, looking at the three CG officers.

"They're my Career guests!" Peter said loudly, a little more loudly than he had intended, but his throat wasn't working right. "This is my… Dad, Matthias." He said, holding back his tears of joy. "And my uncles. Lukas, Matthew, Emil and Alfred." He explained. "They all kind of raise me, so I invited all of them."

The teacher smiled kindly, nodding him on. "And what do they do, Peter?"

Peter took a breath and looked at his beloved Daddy, who wasn't supposed to be out of the hospital yet. Yesterday he had been told by his father that there would be another month until he was ready to be home. Uncles Berwald, and Tino had been taking care of him while Uncle Matthew, Lukas and Emil were training to be in the Coast guard as well. Which apparently, they did it!

"My Uncles, Matthew, Lukas and Emil, and My Dad are all in the United States Coast Guard. Every day, they risk their lives to save people who are lost in storms and in the sea. Just six months ago, my Daddy was awarded the gold lifesaving medal for saving four men under d-dire(?) situations and c-conditions. He was out on open water for a week with the victims and kept them alive the whole time, and even fought a shark." Matthias nodded with a smile in return. Gasps were heard around the room at that from all of the eight-year-old children. A shark? "And my Uncle Alfred was also awarded the Silver lifesaving award for diverting an accident to save the lives of all nine that were in the crash." Peter read off of the paper.

"Both of them are my heroes because they never give up. Even when s-sev-ere-ly (he stumbled on the large words in this essay) hurt and super tired, they did not let anyone around them die. And my Uncles Lukas and Emil and Matthew also help take care of whoever they can. I brought in my Daddy and Uncles because they… are who I want to be like when I grow up." Peter finished, looking to his father. Matthias smiled down at him with his contagiousness and gave him a little thumbs up as the class erupted into applause.

Peter lead the four to the back of the room near his desk and by other parents who had come with their children. He turned to Matthias and squeezed him around his waist, where he was squeezed back. Then he hugged Alfred as well. "I thought you weren't coming home for a long time!" He whispered, to not interrupt the girl up front who was talking about her father's job as an accountant.

"We kind of fibbed so we could surprise ya." Alfred explained, crouching down to look at the boy eye-to-eye. "I guess it worked, eh?"

"Hee, you sound like Uncle Matthew." Peter joked, Hugging the said uncle as well. Then Emil and Lukas. "And you guys made it!"

"Yup!" Matthew said, whispering as well. "We sure did."

Peter pulled Emil and Lukas closer, hugging them as well.

"Thank you. I'm so happy you're home." He said. The bell rang then, touting the end of the school day. Peter happily took his Father's and Matthew's hands and giggled as they swung them between them and spun around in fun circles.

"Uncles Berwald and Tino said they wanted to meet at the ice-cream parlour with Arthur to celebrate!" Matthias said, lifting his child off the ground and holding him to the chest of his uniform, under which, terrible scars were raked across the skin of his torso.

"Yes! Arthur hasn't visited in ages! When did he get here?!"

"This morning. You can pick on him when we see him!" Alfred laughed. Matthew shot him a warning look but smiled anyway.

Peter scrambled onto his father's shoulders, while Matthias laughed and tucked his son's ankles into his large hands. The left one that was scarred to bits didn't bother the boy a bit.

"Lets go eat lot's and lot's of Ice cream!" Peter shouted happily.

And they did.

* * *

**I kind of am sad that this is over. I realllly like how this one turned out. Thanks for reading, precious few! Remember to always appreciate rescue swimmers! Have a wonderful day! Leave a review! :D (please!)**


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